tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-74511037694173708922019-04-19T15:21:35.646-05:00Three Mouse Clicks from DisasterThe Grumpy Dispatcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13636530576253741832noreply@blogger.comBlogger243125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7451103769417370892.post-27735470453693775212019-04-19T15:19:00.001-05:002019-04-19T15:21:35.638-05:00Postcards and talesHey guys.<br /><br />Lots of life changes, that I may or may not go into on here at some point.&nbsp; We all go through them, we all have drama.&nbsp; I'm still at my power company job, though, that hasn't changed.&nbsp; Sometimes I think about this place, and wonder if I've got some more writing in me.&nbsp; Not quite yet, but I was successful in getting dear old dad, the <b>Smooth Substation Operator</b>, to write me up one of his tales.&nbsp; He has so many!<br /><br />This one is an easy one, won't require too much gray matter, but just so you have a chance to get to know the man.&nbsp; Hopefully he will do a lot more guest articles for us!&nbsp; So here is where he went when we talked about poor storage of 9 volt batteries.&nbsp; As a refresher, by the time he retired about 10 years ago, he was the senior all-knowing "oracle" of the substation operations staff, and tended to be the mother hen for everyone in the shop.....<br /><br />-------------------<br /><br />The 9-volt thing was something that I came across online years ago, about how some loose 9 volt batteries had gotten together in someones kitchen 'junk' drawer, heated up, started a fire, and set the house on fire.&nbsp; Whatever it was, the article had a couple of 'impressive' pictures.&nbsp; But the writer's recommendation was to put some kind of tape across the snap contacts.&nbsp; OK, good idea.&nbsp; At least his house wasn't a total loss.<br /><br />But same basic thing.&nbsp; 6 volt lantern batteries, the kind with two coiled-in-a-cone-shape contacts on top.<br /><br />Each year, winter-coming-on time, I would go through the emergency kits and check / replenish as needed.&nbsp; Finding the occasional red plastic hand lantern with a run down battery or otherwise dim beam of light, I'd replace the battery.&nbsp; At some point (the particular event escapes me) I began to pack an extra lantern battery in each bag.<br /><br />Again, the event escapes me, but somebody told me that there was a smell of hot metal?&nbsp; hot plastic? coming from one of the bags a day or so after I'd done my yearly check / replenish thing.&nbsp; I found the bag (hard to miss) and emptied it out.<br /><br />What I found was a discolored (like when a piece of steel or iron gets too hot and the too-hot area looks like the colors of the rainbow?) clipboard clip.&nbsp; It was touching the vinyl lining of the emergency bag, and had a couple of melted (from the heat) spots.<br /><br />What the!?&nbsp; The 'hot' place on the clip was actually two spots, about an inch and a quarter apart - the 'colors' had blended.&nbsp; Heat?&nbsp; Two spots?&nbsp; I picked up the spare lantern battery - needless to say the 'points' of the cones were also discolored.&nbsp; OK.&nbsp; Remembering the thing about the 9 volt batteries, I proceeded to wrap 333 (electrical) tape across the contacts and around the body of the battery.&nbsp; Problem solved.&nbsp; I thought.<br /><br />A couple of months into winter, and we had a snow storm, you know the kind, big sloppy wet flakes landing on tree branches, branches breaking off and falling on the 12.5.&nbsp; Sometimes they'd bounce off or fall off, one reclose, and everything's fine (lots of those you never find unless one of the callers happened to have seen the flash).<br /><br />Of course, you're never that lucky all the time.&nbsp; If the branch lands across the 3-phase and happens to be 'balanced', it will sit there, light up the neighborhood several times until the PCB goes to lockout.&nbsp; Bottom line, we were busy for a couple of days.<br /><br />OK, the party is over, everyone has their lights back on, and I have some emergency kits to check.&nbsp; A lantern in one had been left on when it was dropped back into the bag.&nbsp; Easy fix, I'll just put the spare in and pack a new spare, right?<br /><br />No.&nbsp; The spare was dead.&nbsp; Huh?&nbsp; Got the spare out of another kit, put it in and same thing - dead.&nbsp; Checked them all, and all dead.&nbsp; They were just fine when I packed them, so I'm scratching my head.<br /><br />OK, think.&nbsp; They were all good when they went in, and none of the installed batteries had gone dead (I checked the other lanterns).&nbsp; What's the common difference here?&nbsp; The ones in the lanterns, of course, had no tape, while the spares did.&nbsp; But 333 is an insulating medium.&nbsp; Isn't it?&nbsp; Well, isn't it!<br /><br />Donning my imaginary Sherlock Holmes hat, I deduced that there was a clue worth pursuing; check out the 333.&nbsp; Take out the weakest of the still working lantern batteries, check the voltage, write it on the body of the battery, and wrap some tape across the terminals as I had been doing.<br /><br />The next day I checked the voltage - it had dropped about half a volt.&nbsp; OK, leave it for a few more days, and I'll check on the last day of my shift.&nbsp; Down to about 4-1/2 volts.&nbsp; First day of my next shift I check it&nbsp; again -&nbsp; a little over 3 volts.&nbsp; The voltage on the other lantern batteries had not dropped at all.&nbsp; Checked it again on the last day of that shift, and it barely moved the needle of the voltmeter.<br /><br />(Voltmeters with moving needles dates me, wouldn't you say?&nbsp; Today, we have $3.99 digital multimeters from Harbor Freight.&nbsp; Ain't science wonderful?)<br /><br />OK, how do we fix this.&nbsp; The battery contacts need to be protected / prevented from shorting out against the random piece of meta while they're flopping around in the emergency bags.&nbsp; Gotta be durable AND dependable.<br /><br />High-tech fix, coming up!<br /><br />Find a piece of what I call "shoebox" cardboard, cut it into 3" by 1-1/2" chunks, fold it into an 'L' shape lengthwise, place it across the contacts, and THEN tape it into place.<br /><br />Never had a problem again for as long as I was with City Light, doing my Senior-Substation-Operator-who-wears-the-hats-of-MANY-jobs thing.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: right;"><i>- Smooth Substation Operator</i></div><br />-------------------<br /><br />And there you have it.&nbsp; Honest to goodness, a material intended to INSULATE actually CONDUCTS!&nbsp; I mean, just a little.... but<i> still</i>!<br /><br />If you're still reading, drop me a note, would love to know if anyone is still out there.&nbsp; Stay safe!The Grumpy Dispatcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13636530576253741832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7451103769417370892.post-68971583600707982322017-01-13T23:39:00.000-06:002017-01-14T21:24:44.732-06:00SeasonsIt's been a good long time since I've been on here.<br /><br />Things at my fire agency went absolutely to crap a couple of years ago after a change in leadership. &nbsp;That's why the fire stories dried up. &nbsp;No joy in writing about them any more.<br /><br />Due to the changing tides of volunteerism, the agency ended up hiring more full time personnel several years ago. Management did not do a good job managing the culture shock.<br /><br />In an established department, you've got seasoned veterans who kick the new guys in the teeth as often as necessary until they learn to respect the job and the agency's history. &nbsp;Problem was, management basically established that the new paid guys were essentially "officers", even though most weren't.<br /><br />Being young and full of bravado and feeling the recentism from being fresh out of school and knowing everything, they failed to respect our older volunteer personnel, who had legitimately earned their commissions. &nbsp;You see, our volunteer officers were not "elected", they were always appointed after meeting fairly strict training requirements.<br /><br />On paper, paid or volunteer was not supposed to matter. &nbsp;Firefighters were firefighters, and officers were officers, period.<br /><br />So, following fire service tradition going back centuries, our volunteer officers began kicking the new paid guys in the teeth when they were dickheads or disrespectful. &nbsp;The new guys whined, and the new management backed them up, undermining our agency's entire history and culture, marginalizing our volunteer officers. &nbsp;Unsurprisingly, our entire base of volunteer officers all left within a single year.<br /><br />And it just went to hell from there.<br /><br />Eventually I think the Chief started to figure it out, but it was far too late to repair the damage. &nbsp;The new guys got their own elected officials in office over the Chief, and then the Chief was fired. &nbsp;The Deputy Chief was promoted to interim Chief, with no desire to hold the job permanently. &nbsp;The electeds, totally out of control by now and micromanaging everything, drove the Deputy nuts. &nbsp;In June of 2015 he announced his retirement effective at the end of the year. &nbsp;By October, they drove him so batshit crazy he gave his minimum two weeks notice and bailed, unable to stand them even four extra weeks. &nbsp;That pretty much says it all.<br /><br />Anyway, with the new management in place, volunteers are being phased out. &nbsp;On paper, they still exist, but as a mere show. &nbsp;They get used as abused interns, never allowed to think for themselves and never utilized in a way that promotes their growth within. &nbsp;Turnover is absurdly high, by design in my opinion, to justify the inevitable ending of the program entirely. &nbsp;Once upon a time the volunteers were trained to be autonomous, to be community-oriented, to know when to go grab a rig, to be trained enough to respond directly to an emergency scene and size things up or make an EMS intervention, and appropriately meld into the ICS structure when more resources arrived. &nbsp;No longer, as today none of the volunteers can work without direct career member supervision. &nbsp;I guess this is partly because all the volunteers who had more training than the paid guys are all gone now.<br /><br />Also, now the agency only responds from two of its five stations. &nbsp;They closed and sold a sixth one - without telling the residents in that area beforehand - and are using that money to buy an unnecessarily fancy new fire engine. &nbsp;There are rigs sitting in the other three stations that literally have responded to <b>zero</b> incidents in over two years. &nbsp;<b>Zero incidents.</b> &nbsp;The buildings are abandoned, dusty, leaky ceilings unrepaired, falling apart, with trucks mostly stripped of equipment but holding ceremonial spots for fire insurance rating purposes. &nbsp;Those stations are mere storage facilities now. &nbsp;Just a few years ago we would turn out rigs from all of our stations for a structure fire, but those days are over. &nbsp;The agency still has four tankers, but is lucky to turn out even one for a structure fire because there's no one left to drive them, instead relying on mutual aid for water. &nbsp;Classy. &nbsp;In fact, the last few fires, water tankers had to be called from as far as over 20 miles away. &nbsp;Neighbor agencies are already tiring of carrying this one, but the long term agenda appears to be merger into the neighbor city, and liquidation, leaving the rural people hostage to the city's whims. &nbsp;Because once your agency has been gutted and you have no assets, no money, and no volunteers, how do you restart from scratch if you don't like what the city is offering?<br /><br />Bear in mind this isn't a tired retread of the paid vs. vollie debate. &nbsp;This was the second combo fire agency I've worked at. &nbsp;I've worked alongside paid guys with lots more training than me, and also alongside paid guys whose hand I needed to hold at many calls. &nbsp;We're all supposed to be on the same team. &nbsp;This story is one of too many 2-20 hotheads coming in and no one there to teach them respect. &nbsp;When they spend their days drawing logos with phrases like "Station 54 - The Filthy Few" for a house that runs less than 300 calls a year.... give me a break. &nbsp;They want to be big city jakes, and their insecurities turned too many of them into dicks, &nbsp;Of course, when they did get called in to one of the bigger neighboring cities and got trampled on by busy companies that actually do stuff, their feelings were hurt, and instead of learning respect and humility, they just doubled down. &nbsp;No, not paid vs. vollie, but rather a total loss of culture by flooding the roster with empowered hotheads while hamstringing the efforts from those of us who've actually done this for a few years to shape their character.<br /><br />Anyway, if it wasn't already clear to you by now, I am no longer part of this agency, and retired from the fire service myself about a year ago. &nbsp;I haven't ruled out a return in some sort of rehab/canteen capacity with another agency, but I'm kind of burned out by being treated like whale shit on my way out after a 21-year career. &nbsp;Just not feeling it any more, and that is genuinely sad.<br /><br />I still work for the power company though. &nbsp;Always neat things going on there.<br /><br />Maybe I'll pick this blog up again, maybe not. &nbsp;But that's where things are today.<br /><br />Keep the faith, and stay safe out there.The Grumpy Dispatcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13636530576253741832noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7451103769417370892.post-2947983283267604522015-08-20T19:25:00.002-05:002015-08-20T19:26:24.754-05:00Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice...It started out small enough, and by the time the first scout unit arrived at the request of the Forest Service, it was still only about 10'x30'.&nbsp; Unfortunately, the scout unit wasn't a suppression unit, and the Forest Service didn't have resources nearby.<br /><br />The scout unit thought they could hold it if only they had water, but it was a 20-30 minute response for something that could throw water.&nbsp; It was worth a shot, and they called in some help.&nbsp; We got caught up in that request as well.<br /><br />Things didn't quite pan out as hoped despite best intentions, and it officially became a crapstorm after the USFS finally did arrive to help and promptly tumbled one of their engines down an embankment and into the path of the fire. At least no one was in it, thank goodness.<br /><br />By the time I arrived with others from my agency, the unnecessary frenzied tone set by the lost engine was in full effect, and there were also at least two ICs.&nbsp; We parked our rigs and advised up the chain that we were going to remain in staging until there was only one IC.&nbsp; That took about 20 minutes to get resolved.<br /><br />When Squad 51 finally got an assignment from an IC that we were willing to listen to, it was to patrol the fire line established on an access road, where the fire had already burned.&nbsp; Warning bells are going off in my head, because we're uphill of the fire, and the initial burn did not consume all the fuels.&nbsp; USFS guys are with us on the line, and I foolishly allowed things to proceed assuming the experts wouldn't do this if there was cause for concern.&nbsp; The rotor was making drops on the far side of the burn, the active front, but lots of smoke is still rolling up the hill and over our location.<br /><br />Sure as hell though, a little wind shift pushes the fire around a bit, and then a large slash pile lit off just down the road below our rigs.&nbsp; 25' flames are blowing across the road and into the green between us and our escape route.&nbsp; Every time the wind blows the heated smoke at us, we have to lean into the bottom of the drainage ditch on the access road to get air.&nbsp; Eyes and lungs burning.&nbsp; This is genuinely frightening, been quite a while since I had a true pucker moment like this.<br /><br />About five years ago, I allowed the very same thing to happen.&nbsp; Got assigned uphill of a fire that sure as hell came up the hill.&nbsp; Drop and run was the order, and although we lost several hundred feet of hose we were lucky enough to get the rigs and people out without injury.&nbsp; I said at the time, after that legit scare, that&nbsp;I wouldn't let it happen to me again.<br /><br />And here I am, eyes burning and tearing up, rubbing them, trying to see so I can drive my rig out during a momentary lapse in the wind when the fire isn't blowing across the road.&nbsp; If not for the rotor being diverted to drop water on the fire near the road by us, the outcome might have been different.<br /><br />I try to keep the language clean here, but in this case I think it is warranted to say fuck that noise, never again!&nbsp; It is trees and grass, we weren't even protecting any nearby houses.&nbsp; Not worth it by any stretch of the imagination.&nbsp; What the hell were we ever even given that assignment for, with such high risk and negligible value in holding that line with limited resources?<br /><br />Don't be afraid to question orders. The 10 &amp; 18 are there for damned good reasons and paid for with many lives.&nbsp; We all owe it to those that paid the price to heed their lessons.&nbsp; Fooled me twice, shame on me.&nbsp; Never again.<br /><br />Stay safe out there.<br /><br />The Grumpy Dispatcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13636530576253741832noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7451103769417370892.post-55924828593338209542015-06-07T00:04:00.002-05:002015-06-07T00:09:13.949-05:00Lesson Learned, Lesson Passed OnI was riding with Gary in 579 when we got a call for arcing wires near downtown.&nbsp; It got slightly more interesting when the dispatcher told us the feeder breaker had operated once and then closed again, so something more than a little spit and pop.&nbsp; The dispatcher put the breaker in non-auto so if it tripped again it would not keep reclosing into a problem.<br /><br />We were sort of out of position without many guys working, so it would be a bit of a delay.&nbsp; Then I heard Engine 1 from Very Big City go en route, so someone had called 911 undoubtedly frightened by the show.<br /><br />As we were rolling along, the tickets were rolling in, and I was pulling them up on the MDC to get some hints.&nbsp; Our phone reps are uncomfortable paraphrasing much because of past incidents where they edited something important out, so they pretty much type into the trouble tickets what they hear on the phone.<br /><br /><strong><span style="color: yellow;">Customer states lives right near substation, heard several loud booms in that direction and lights flickered, still have power.</span></strong><br /><br /><strong><span style="color: lime;">Power line arcing on north side of 5th between Sampson and Flannery, looks like trying to catch on fire now.</span></strong><br /><br /><strong><span style="color: yellow;">Lines in front of this address are making very weird noises.</span></strong><br /><br />(I love those kinds of tickets, "weird noises", good stuff.)<br /><br /><strong><span style="color: lime;">Customer heard several very loud booms and saw two blinks, lights still on.</span></strong><br /><br />And just as we were getting close, the dispatcher called to advise the breaker had operated again and the circuit was out.&nbsp; Darn.&nbsp; Was hoping to see something good!<br /><br />So we pulled up, and Engine 1 had closed the block down, which was the right call while it was burning up.&nbsp; Now that the circuit is dead, not much for serious hazards, and we told them they could open the road and take their cones, thanks for coming out.&nbsp; Turned out we had an overhead primary switch that burned pretty good until it melted off a jumper, which then fell into the next phase below and blew the circuit.&nbsp; The glass was all carboned up and lots of charring on the pole, with some burnt debris in the street.&nbsp; But the big drama was over.<br /><br />Engine 1's Captain walked up to our truck as his guys made their way back up the street with their cones to make small talk and bid us adieu.&nbsp; He got a little close to the pole, and Gary said he might not want to be under that switch.&nbsp; Either he didn't hear us or he didn't take it seriously, but about 0.2 seconds later he jolted like he'd been stung by a bee and darted back into the street, slapping at his shoulder, "Ouch! Something hot hit me!" He was looking at the ground to find what he had knocked off his shoulder.<br /><br />One of his crew said "Cap! Your shoulder is still smoking!"&nbsp; Amusement ensued while the Captain danced a little circular jig in the middle of the street while tearing off his uniform shirt.&nbsp; Turns out the creosote treatment on this pole was generous, and the fire had melted a lot of it so that it dribbled down to the insulators on the side of the pole and then dripped to the ground.&nbsp; Just because the fire was out more than five minutes ago does not eliminate the threat.<br /><br />No helmet, no coat, no PPE.&nbsp; Lucky he wasn't seriously injured like if it had landed on his head or ears, only a slight 1st degree burn and a destroyed Class B shirt.<br /><br />When the serviceman stays stay back, there's a reason!&nbsp; We all have our moments of oopsie so we're not here to poke at the Captain too hard, but for him I am sure it is a lesson learned and lesson passed on to his people for the rest of his career.&nbsp; And now, to you too.<br /><br />Thanks for reading.<br /><br />The Grumpy Dispatcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13636530576253741832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7451103769417370892.post-39655632600455637122015-05-17T23:05:00.000-05:002015-05-17T23:08:54.078-05:00You wouldn't block a hydrant, but . . .The internet is filled with fun pictures of what happens to cars (especially police cars!) that block hydrants, but we in the fire service&nbsp;are all very familiar with&nbsp;bane of overgrown and hidden hydrants as well.<br /><br />﻿<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zN47R3TZhEo/VVlfJZkSEHI/AAAAAAAAA9Y/Ob9Z3j0buYg/s1600/hidden_hydrant.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zN47R3TZhEo/VVlfJZkSEHI/AAAAAAAAA9Y/Ob9Z3j0buYg/s320/hidden_hydrant.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spot the hydrant!</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-q0ghFg0aRk4/VVlfJ03uSXI/AAAAAAAAA9c/qQGQl0JKZiw/s1600/hydrant_04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-q0ghFg0aRk4/VVlfJ03uSXI/AAAAAAAAA9c/qQGQl0JKZiw/s320/hydrant_04.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mayor fail</td></tr></tbody></table>Of course, you wouldn't block a hydrant or allow one to be overgrown on your property.&nbsp; But hydrants are not the only things that need to be found promptly at 3AM in the rain sometimes.&nbsp; Yes, another power company post, I present you the case of the beleagured and oft-neglected padmount transformer.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rNpjp6xKhEw/VVlgxmxIIfI/AAAAAAAAA9o/i7S4mTi5MQM/s1600/pad-mount-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rNpjp6xKhEw/VVlgxmxIIfI/AAAAAAAAA9o/i7S4mTi5MQM/s320/pad-mount-2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Where's the love?</td></tr></tbody></table>When we are switching to restore power after an outage, my guys are usually working these hot, or are heating them up.&nbsp; They have to stand several feet away and work with a hot stick, and there is always the risk of equipment failure and a flash arc.<br /><br />﻿<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Sq-K6P2CCxk/VVlh6Bn0LwI/AAAAAAAAA9w/yVvoxpOT4v8/s1600/Picture7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Sq-K6P2CCxk/VVlh6Bn0LwI/AAAAAAAAA9w/yVvoxpOT4v8/s400/Picture7.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pay no mind to those tripping hazards.</td></tr></tbody></table>A bad hydrant won't generally injure or kill you, transformers are a different story.&nbsp; For this reason, there is a near-universal standard that utility companies require for clearances around transformers.&nbsp; Not that very many people comply.&nbsp; Generally speaking, 3' to the sides and rear, and 10' in front for working space as shown by the lineman switching above.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LB95o9wsePw/VVlilAJ-efI/AAAAAAAAA94/w8CknVIts0M/s1600/Picture8.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="188" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LB95o9wsePw/VVlilAJ-efI/AAAAAAAAA94/w8CknVIts0M/s320/Picture8.gif" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2A8OQlgl4x0/VVlilgzDWuI/AAAAAAAAA98/PhhMOEXtdbY/s1600/padmount-transformer-clearance1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2A8OQlgl4x0/VVlilgzDWuI/AAAAAAAAA98/PhhMOEXtdbY/s320/padmount-transformer-clearance1.jpg" width="304" /></a></div><br />This comes up because of the topic of the previous post, where we've been out auditing a crap-ton of transformers in our system.&nbsp; We often find occasional problems in the course of day-to-day operations just like we find the oddball hidden hydrant, but there are many more transformers out there than hydrants, and the special attention we've been giving them lately here has given rise to a large number of fun discoveries.<br /><br />We get a lot of complaints when we have to trim them back in an outage to access a unit, but at least then those people were out of power and sort of get it.&nbsp; It's when we find and trim some pre-emptively that people really cut loose.&nbsp; They've been growing that shrub or bush for years to hide it, they say.&nbsp; It's ugly, they say.&nbsp; No one has opened it in 15 years they say.&nbsp; Funny, since electricity is as essential as water is for fire protection (some would say more so), how almost no one complains about fire hydrants.&nbsp; Even the ones not used for a fire in 15 years.<br /><br />If you have one of these at your home, in your neighborhood, chances are good you never gave it much thought.&nbsp; If it's overgrown, I am not going to tell you to clear it out, but I will tell you to not get your panties in a wad if one day the power company does it for you unannounced.&nbsp; And to not complain too much when there are delays getting the power on while linemen wrangle chainsaws and heavy trimmers just to get to their stuff.<br /><br />Now you know.&nbsp; Knowing is half the battle.<br /><br />Enjoy the gallery, it gradually gets better as you go down.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hhE4txNSjFo/VVljIgquuzI/AAAAAAAAA-I/YqQDrPark78/s1600/Picture9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hhE4txNSjFo/VVljIgquuzI/AAAAAAAAA-I/YqQDrPark78/s400/Picture9.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4UbVaE2eGDw/VVljJNkv-xI/AAAAAAAAA-Q/reN37EJIy3k/s1600/Picture10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4UbVaE2eGDw/VVljJNkv-xI/AAAAAAAAA-Q/reN37EJIy3k/s400/Picture10.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-W0hRDD8Ja3w/VVljJ5PONNI/AAAAAAAAA-U/sTMsKuMrfs0/s1600/Picture11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-W0hRDD8Ja3w/VVljJ5PONNI/AAAAAAAAA-U/sTMsKuMrfs0/s400/Picture11.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8sbd0sXjfkg/VVljKvquAZI/AAAAAAAAA-g/dR8dlsd2ZAk/s1600/Picture12.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="310" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8sbd0sXjfkg/VVljKvquAZI/AAAAAAAAA-g/dR8dlsd2ZAk/s400/Picture12.png" width="400" /></a></div><br />﻿<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dYLuWFlwDUI/VVljLXHn2HI/AAAAAAAAA-w/2CzIsvRVJkw/s1600/Picture13.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="282" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dYLuWFlwDUI/VVljLXHn2HI/AAAAAAAAA-w/2CzIsvRVJkw/s400/Picture13.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Even when you know it is there, you can't see it.</td></tr></tbody></table><br />﻿<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-K-Aw4O2c8fs/VVljLISiFeI/AAAAAAAAA-k/795z7Pfu5Gs/s1600/Picture14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-K-Aw4O2c8fs/VVljLISiFeI/AAAAAAAAA-k/795z7Pfu5Gs/s400/Picture14.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This one is actually behind that center tree trunk, way back.</td></tr></tbody></table><br />﻿<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-X1UqnMMGl5o/VVljMPBhlRI/AAAAAAAAA-0/bwx0OEnz76M/s1600/Picture15.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="275" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-X1UqnMMGl5o/VVljMPBhlRI/AAAAAAAAA-0/bwx0OEnz76M/s400/Picture15.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fence overbuild.&nbsp; Priceless.</td></tr></tbody></table>Thanks for reading.&nbsp; Stay safe out there.<br /><br />The Grumpy Dispatcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13636530576253741832noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7451103769417370892.post-39043949973258959912015-05-16T01:44:00.004-05:002015-05-16T16:11:44.302-05:00Would you like it gift wrapped, too?Power company tale here.&nbsp; Several months ago we got a request from our GIS department.&nbsp; Seems that at the time of transition from AutoCAD feeder drawings to GIS drawings over ten years ago, a lot of data was not transferred properly.<br /><br />Now that we're implementing a new asset-tracking platform, the missing data that has been known about for many years is now a problem.&nbsp; No one really got after it before, because over time we get out to places and did an upgrade here, replacement there, added something on, and each time that happened a tiny little bit is filled in.&nbsp; In theory I guess this means eventually you'll catch up, but eventually is now too long to wait.<br /><br />Our project request was to identify in GIS every location where we had a padmount transformer installed with no asset data tied to it, and then send a serviceman out to that unit and record the necessary data.<br /><br />We're talking somewhere along the lines of 2,000 units.&nbsp; For realio.<br /><br />So I've been working on this for months.&nbsp; Identifying the units, assigning work orders, and collecting their data and funneling it back to the GIS group.&nbsp; We use these jobs as filler when nothing else is going on, and a little fill is nice when you're bored, but doing 10 or 15 per shift per person on slow days gets old real fast for my guys.<br /><br />Serviceman <a href="http://grumpydispatcher.blogspot.com/2011/09/loving-it-not-loving-it_21.html" target="_blank">Pete</a> is one of my most tenacious guys, but not in the usual sense.&nbsp; He is tenacious about his time being used efficiently and effectively.&nbsp; And this job was really bothering him.&nbsp; He complained, and I told him we had our orders and it was our job to fulfill it.&nbsp; He had some ideas he wanted to chase down, and I won't stand in the way of my guys, let alone get steamrolled by Pete on a mission.<br /><br />Pete researched old database records and asked around, lo and behold he located a positively elderly but still functional database that had a great number of these lost units in it, and told the GIS leader about it.&nbsp; Put two and two together, and most of the missing data was now recoverable with some GIS department desk time matching records up and making updates.<br /><br />So I get to work today and get an email from the GIS leader with this data in it, explaining that it should help in our search for info, and we can use our established communication chain through the GIS system to get the data back to him.<br /><br /><em>(screeching, scratch across a vinyl record, full-stop sound effect.)</em><br /><br />So, you mean to tell me that you had this data all along?<br /><br />And, pray tell, why are you sending <strong><u>me</u></strong> the data, that <strong><u>you</u></strong> asked&nbsp;us to get for you?<br /><br />Would you like me to put a pretty red bow on it and give it back to you, saying "here's the data you asked us to get for you"?<br /><br />How about this: You keep your data, clean up your records to the best of your ability, and then come talk to us when you've exhausted your resources and actually need help filling in the gaps.<br /><br />Honestly.&nbsp; This happened.<br /><br />Thank the good Lord for great employees like Pete who find solutions, and that I don't have the GIS guy anywhere in my management tree.<br /><br />The Grumpy Dispatcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13636530576253741832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7451103769417370892.post-82852962934570996982015-05-15T00:37:00.003-05:002015-05-16T16:20:16.750-05:00No guarantees!We got a single call for power trouble from a place with three-phase service, some of their stuff wasn't working but they weren't totally out.&nbsp; According to the mapping data, they were served from three individual overhead transformers.&nbsp; Certainly this meant that one of those transformers had failed, especially since we were not getting any other calls.&nbsp; We sent Bear over in 574 to check it out.<br /><br />Upon arrival, Bear is a little perplexed to find that all three cutouts to the overhead banks are closed in and holding.&nbsp; He investigates at the customer's panel and is getting no voltage on a couple of their low-side phases.&nbsp; Perhaps something is wrong in the secondary from the transformers to the panel?&nbsp; No, it is all above ground, plainly visible, nothing obviously wrong.&nbsp; Bear flies up in the bucket and tests for voltage above the banks, and shows good voltage to all three transformers.<br /><br />Nothing is apparently wrong, yet stuff isn't working.&nbsp; Rare is the day that the Bear is stumped.&nbsp; Today is one of those days.&nbsp; Bear swallows his pride and calls for backup.&nbsp; 577 Kevin heads his way.<br /><br />Kevin arrives and goes through the same checks, comes to the same conclusions.&nbsp; While he is up in the air near the transformers, Kevin also load-checks all three phases of the 12kV overhead going down the tap to the 150 or so customers downstream past this place.&nbsp; They are stumped, and looking for inspiration.&nbsp; Oddly enough, Kevin gets 30-something amps on A phase,&nbsp;2 amps on B phase, and 50-something amps on C phase.&nbsp; Ideally they should be sort of balanced, and the mere 2 amps on B phase is outside of plausible under normal circumstances.<br /><br />This isn't making any sense.&nbsp; If there is voltage on B phase, people should be in power, but according to the load check of just 2 amps there is effectively no flow going downstream, yet none of the B phase customers downstream have reported power outages over 90 minutes into this incident.<br /><br />At this point, if I was out there, I would want to have a cup of tea to think things over.&nbsp; The urge to break something in frustration would also cross my mind.&nbsp; Thankfully it isn't me out there, but the dedicated duo of Kevin and the Bear.<br /><br />Kevin has a hunch, and drives back&nbsp;upstream to a set of line reclosers just a few spans before the problem site, and much to his surprise, finds the B phase recloser is open.&nbsp; Yet..... B phase has voltage.&nbsp; Can it get any more confuzzling?<br /><br />Kevin and Bear pair up in one of the trucks and go patrolling the downstream tap to try to sort out the mystery.&nbsp; Sure enough, about a half mile down the way, they find that something.... wind?... has caused a span of the B phase primary overhead to lay flopped over C phase.&nbsp; Suddenly, the flood of comprehension washes over them.<br /><br />Under normal circumstances, all three phases should be more or less equally loaded.&nbsp; Something caused B and C phase to come in contact with each other and cause a cross-phase fault.&nbsp; The single phase reclosers for B and C phase would have been extremely unhappy about this and would have tripped one or two times hoping the fault would clear.&nbsp; The timing of these reclosers was just ever so much of a smidgen off that one of the reclosers closed back in and held while the other gave up.&nbsp; The result was B phase load was now being carried not through the recloser as normal, but through where the lines were entangled.&nbsp; This is why there was no load on B phase at the outage site, they were now electrically at the farthest end of B phase with its source coming through the tangle.&nbsp; This is why no B phase customers reported an outage, at most they saw a couple of blinks.<br /><br />And lastly, the original caller was the only 3-phase customer on this tap.&nbsp; Some 3-phase service relies on magical AC theory stuff having to do with the gap between phases, and when two of the three phases are unexpectedly tied together (instead of A-B-C they were getting A-C-C), anything relying on the difference between AB or BC phases&nbsp;will get no potential, and stuff won't work.<br /><br />If not for that one and only 3-phase customer reporting a problem, there's no telling how long this might have sat this way until something else brought the problem to our attention.<br /><br />And another lesson was driven home for everyone.&nbsp; Despite the B phase recloser being open, the line was backfed and hot.&nbsp; Even if you have a visual open, a line isn't dead until it is <em>grounded and dead</em>.<br /><br />Those guys did a good job sleuthing it out.&nbsp; Stay safe out there.<br /><br />The Grumpy Dispatcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13636530576253741832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7451103769417370892.post-15197312722348792982015-05-07T23:03:00.001-05:002015-05-07T23:12:11.713-05:00The return of the Grumpy Dispatcher, againFollowing another hiatus, I have returned. &nbsp;Just a touch over a year since my last post.<br /><br />I have some new ideas about where to go with this blog, some personal stuff going on that I will share about, and have lost the ability to give much of a hoot about whether or not my cover is ever blown.<br /><br />I say what I mean and I mean what I say. &nbsp;Well, most of the time.<br /><br />I see quite a few of my favorite blogs have fallen to the wayside. &nbsp;Having done so myself now and then, I understand. &nbsp;Maybe they'll be back some day. &nbsp;In the meantime, I'll have to start doing some cleanup on my links and blogroll.<br /><br />How are you guys doing out there? &nbsp;Anyone still listening?<br /><br />The Grumpy Dispatcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13636530576253741832noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7451103769417370892.post-62329443217817096862014-05-02T21:44:00.000-05:002015-05-07T22:58:19.188-05:00Well, now ya gotta do it anywayOver four years ago I first <a href="http://tmcfd.blogspot.com/2010/01/beware-what-you-ask-for.html" target="_blank">told you about the bowling alley</a>.<br /><br />Within a year of that tale, the bowling alley was torn down.&nbsp; It has been a gravelly rubble-strewn vacant lot for years.&nbsp; The only thing left is the dead end power pole that used to serve the building.<br /><br />Within a few months of the teardown, I submitted a recommendation to our planning group to have the pole, with the 3-phase transformers hanging on it, be removed to reduce our exposure to outages.&nbsp; It is clear nothing is going to be built there for years, and those energized transformers weren't doing anything but asking to be smacked.&nbsp; This is sort of what it looks like:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-IQepupW0VGI/U2RYcFQq2hI/AAAAAAAAA7w/C3nukXBVTmo/s1600/pole-mount-transformer.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-IQepupW0VGI/U2RYcFQq2hI/AAAAAAAAA7w/C3nukXBVTmo/s1600/pole-mount-transformer.gif" height="200" width="141" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />And of course, my dear readers, you can see where this is going.<br /><br />Tonight we got a call, car vs. pole, wires down, transformers in the road, wires on the car.&nbsp; This is bread and butter so I didn't think much of it until I pulled up the map.<br /><br />Oh yes, they did.<br /><br />Two of the transformers are leaking oil on the road, the haz mat contractor is en route, and we've got a hell of a mess out there.&nbsp; The road is blocked, and it is very late on a Friday night so my dispatchers are still struggling to get enough manpower rounded up to head out there.<br /><br />My recommendation is now being followed, out of necessity. <br /><br />That's all this post is, just one long ungracious I-told-you-so moment.&nbsp; Carry on and be safe out there.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />The Grumpy Dispatcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13636530576253741832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7451103769417370892.post-40061961312974953352014-02-22T21:45:00.000-06:002015-05-07T22:58:19.206-05:00What you don't see will still kill youWe got a call at the power company early one morning during the commute, reporting a broken power pole.&nbsp; Before we arrived, several callers had notified us directly and many more had called it in to 911.<br /><br />We doubted that it was ours at first, because we had no reports of power outages, figured it might be a telecom pole.&nbsp; But lo and behold, upon arrival, we have a broken pole with all three phases of the primary under tension from neighboring poles helping to hold it up.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-G7j2MU1OFf8/Uwlrs3VElwI/AAAAAAAAA6s/A8P_JnBqJ54/s1600/DSCF0081.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-G7j2MU1OFf8/Uwlrs3VElwI/AAAAAAAAA6s/A8P_JnBqJ54/s1600/DSCF0081.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div><br />The first arriving serviceman also noted some absorbent applied to the road about midspan to the left of the pole as shown above.&nbsp; Upon further inspection over there he found random car parts debris, and signs of trauma intervention (bandage wrappers and sundry litter).<br /><br />A little more research revealed that fire and law enforcement had been out here shortly after dinner time the previous evening for this wreck, a rollover.&nbsp; Either no one noticed the broken pole, or word never got to us.&nbsp; Probably no one noticed.<br /><br />This was a very close call for two reasons.<br /><br />First off, if you look at the close-up below, you'll note there is something amiss with the center phase.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-w6fPmzpRWys/Uwls3ppGAAI/AAAAAAAAA7A/4Fc3Z4unNRk/s1600/Picture1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-w6fPmzpRWys/Uwls3ppGAAI/AAAAAAAAA7A/4Fc3Z4unNRk/s1600/Picture1.jpg" height="292" width="400" /></a></div><br />What you see there is that the insulator stack holding the center phase up off the tip of the pole is broken, and the bare wire is laying on the crossarm.&nbsp; Sometimes when this happens, the voltage is able to push through the damp wood of the pole and find a track to ground that results in an arc flash and line trip.&nbsp; Other times, it never finds a good track but nevertheless has a (relatively) low amp sustained fault to ground.&nbsp; When the latter occurs, touching the pole or even walking too close to it can easily injure or kill you.&nbsp; Close call.<br /><br />Secondarily, of course, there wasn't much holding this thing up, and it just as easily could have gone ahead and collapsed into the scene while the guys were working it.&nbsp; We never had an outage, so those lines stayed hot the entire time until we got out there for repairs.&nbsp; Close call.<br /><br />So here's today's message.&nbsp; Remember that wrecked cars will leave damage for quite a ways, and it behooves the IC or safety person, if not the guy doing the outer circle scene survey, to try to find out where the car came from and what happened along the way.<br /><br />Saying you didn't notice it doesn't bring dead people back to life.&nbsp; I don't want to second guess the crew on this job, but I do want them to go home to their families.<br /><br />Stay safe out there.<br /><br /><br />The Grumpy Dispatcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13636530576253741832noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7451103769417370892.post-26743160374420757822014-01-24T17:51:00.000-06:002015-05-07T22:58:19.221-05:00From Hero to Goat in ten minutes<div style="color: orange;">Engine 56, Engine 51, Small City Engine, Tanker 56, Tanker 55, structure fire.....</div><br />E56 arrived first with the duty crew, running short handed with just two guys.&nbsp; Had a fire going in the attic of a large shop outbuilding.&nbsp; By the time Tanker 56 arrived with me in E51 right behind, they had the knock.&nbsp;<br /><br />Small City's crew showed up soon after, and we collectively didn't have much to do.&nbsp; We released everyone but the first three rigs, did some cleanup and overhaul, packed the attack lines and were in service within an hour of arrival.<br /><br />The Engine 56 boys were feeling pretty good, and rightfully so.&nbsp; Not ideal working with a tiny crew, but some days things work out, and at least for the next few shifts they would be the staff heroes.&nbsp; Five years ago the Small City was light years ahead of this agency, but these days with our staffing changes we tend to cover more of their calls than they do ours.&nbsp; It feels good when we do not require their services, though we always appreciate them coming out.<br /><br />We were still motoring home to our various stations when the tones dropped again.&nbsp; Chimney Fire, not too far off.&nbsp; Same rigs, sans the Small City.<br /><br />The heroes of E56 got the jump on the call, seeing as how they were aimed in the right direction and already rolling.&nbsp; The address was on one of the main roads, easy to find.&nbsp; <br /><br />As long as it is on the main part of that main road.<br /><br />Unfortunately, if you go far enough north, it veers off to other exciting locales and changes names, but if you turn off early and then wind around the back way far enough, there is another section of that road in line with the original, with the same name.&nbsp; Aaaaaand you can see where this is going.<br /><br />So, E56 asked for the Small City engine to go ahead and respond with us again, since they were short-staffed.&nbsp; And then E56 went up the road to la-la land, and you could hear it in the officer's voice when he eventually said "in the area, attempting to locate" a couple of minutes after we expected him to arrive.&nbsp; Not a good sign.<br /><br />Small City engine was not fooled, and arrived first.&nbsp; Tanker 56 was next, then me.&nbsp; The first-due Engine 56 heroes, by the time they figured out what went wrong and had doubled back to correct for their ways, arrived fifth.<br /><br /><i>Fifth</i>.<br /><br />Small City engine canceled and cleared everyone before E56 could even exit the piece. <br /><br /><i>Ouch</i>.<br /><br />C'mon guys, read the map!&nbsp; Hero to goat, just like that.<br /><br />So they'll have to carry that mantle for a few days or weeks until someone else gains infamy.&nbsp; Builds character.<br /><br />Stay safe out there.&nbsp; And Read. The. Map!<br /><br /><br />The Grumpy Dispatcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13636530576253741832noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7451103769417370892.post-42826533717142702582014-01-13T21:45:00.000-06:002015-05-07T22:58:19.235-05:00Look again, you probably missed somethingThere were four of us working that night when the tones dropped for a police assist.&nbsp; They were asking for scene lighting for something.&nbsp; It was about 0230, and I was the junior guy on a very cold wintry night, so seniority played a role in me being sent out alone with the utility rig while the other guys stayed warm inside and went back to sleep.<br /><br />As I rolled up, there were about six police cars arrayed along the edge of one of the city parks with a gaggle of cops not too far off the road in the soccer field, standing next to a pile of clothing that looked like it had been collected elsewhere and dropped for further review.&nbsp; I tried to figure out where the clothes might have come from so I could figure out where they might want me to park the truck, but it was a mystery.<br /><br />So I walked on over towards and then around the pile of clothes to get some directions.&nbsp; They seemed a little annoyed at my proximity to the pile and the body language was clear as they moved away that I should as well.&nbsp; Just put the lights right there on that, they said, as if it was obvious.&nbsp; And walk back to the road that-a-way, one of them added, pointing to a longer return route.<br /><br />It was not until I fired up the generator and was raising the scene lights that I was able to get a better glimpse of the now lighted scene.&nbsp; There were tire tracks all over the field and a lot of damage, looked like someone was doing donuts, typical midwestern hooliganism.&nbsp; I was still perplexed, though, at what warranted such an extensive middle-of-the-night investigation.&nbsp; Then the ME's van showed up..... the heck?<br /><br />I just stayed in the truck and watched as the ME and cops conferred, and then as they walked over to the pile of....... holy cripes!<br /><br />It's a frickin' BODY.&nbsp; It had been run over several times.&nbsp; There was not enough blood to draw my attention, apparently because the person was dead before being run over several times.<br /><br />One of my career's most epic situational awareness fails, I was traipsing and blundering through a murder scene, atypical of the stereotype that cops have for firefighters in crime scenes.&nbsp; Lived it out right there.&nbsp; At least I could try to blame it on being the new guy without experience.&nbsp; I am amazed to this day that the ten or so cops there showed such amazing restraint when I would have expected to get a new one torn open by them, and rightfully so.<br /><br />Pay attention you guys, things are often not at all as they seem, even when you think you've looked everything over.&nbsp; Chances are you've still missed something.&nbsp; Try to not let that something be a murder victim's body.<br /><br />As dawn was breaking, I was released to return to quarters, and broke the utility truck on the way when it snapped the serpentine belt, and I had to fight the power steering pump the rest of the way back.&nbsp; When it rains, it pours.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />The Grumpy Dispatcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13636530576253741832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7451103769417370892.post-15824683969856349822014-01-02T19:44:00.000-06:002015-05-07T22:58:19.260-05:00THWS: Life HacksBeen a while since I posted a Totally Handy Web Site, and I'm bending the rules slightly with this one.<br /><br />Strictly speaking, instead of posting a specific site that is handy, I am posting to a specific post on a page that is handy, but you can find examples of this kind of thing by googling "life hacks".<br /><br />Below are eight examples of the 99 pictures of amazing and sensible "I wish I had thought of that" life hacks listed at this page.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0MY0aJ-t1lo/UsYVkbbLJsI/AAAAAAAAA44/omPd8Rt-a7A/s1600/Picture1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="301" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0MY0aJ-t1lo/UsYVkbbLJsI/AAAAAAAAA44/omPd8Rt-a7A/s320/Picture1.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MTSmjwgEOe8/UsYViC8BrWI/AAAAAAAAA4U/XEL6NK2ogiw/s1600/Picture2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MTSmjwgEOe8/UsYViC8BrWI/AAAAAAAAA4U/XEL6NK2ogiw/s320/Picture2.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6oJrReTCs90/UsYViP4UtII/AAAAAAAAA4Y/IjEORknWHKE/s1600/Picture3.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6oJrReTCs90/UsYViP4UtII/AAAAAAAAA4Y/IjEORknWHKE/s320/Picture3.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PmrdgONz57I/UsYVisDRuAI/AAAAAAAAA4o/xFBoQxRba_w/s1600/Picture4.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PmrdgONz57I/UsYVisDRuAI/AAAAAAAAA4o/xFBoQxRba_w/s320/Picture4.png" width="239" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Vfa_fZnfqjQ/UsYVjCSIgiI/AAAAAAAAA4k/d9OcUEkwuPQ/s1600/Picture5.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Vfa_fZnfqjQ/UsYVjCSIgiI/AAAAAAAAA4k/d9OcUEkwuPQ/s400/Picture5.png" width="166" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ATdmVYwuTKM/UsYVmnWvvHI/AAAAAAAAA5I/N0_p1qUitPw/s1600/Picture6.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ATdmVYwuTKM/UsYVmnWvvHI/AAAAAAAAA5I/N0_p1qUitPw/s640/Picture6.png" width="252" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-efAhcW9zSC0/UsYVki1xrJI/AAAAAAAAA40/OfmQE3sNT-Q/s1600/Picture7.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-efAhcW9zSC0/UsYVki1xrJI/AAAAAAAAA40/OfmQE3sNT-Q/s320/Picture7.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bb_8HmZCeeg/UsYVlokRLUI/AAAAAAAAA5E/S9vHbhWR7gc/s1600/Picture8.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bb_8HmZCeeg/UsYVlokRLUI/AAAAAAAAA5E/S9vHbhWR7gc/s320/Picture8.png" width="238" /></a></div><br />See them all, go here: <a href="http://dedalvs.tumblr.com/post/48998678919/99-life-hacks-to-make-your-life-easier">http://dedalvs.tumblr.com/post/48998678919/99-life-hacks-to-make-your-life-easier</a><br /><br />Some of these are some seriously Totally Handy hacks!<br /><br /><br /><br />The Grumpy Dispatcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13636530576253741832noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7451103769417370892.post-29488891297953566942013-12-31T21:51:00.000-06:002015-05-07T22:58:19.274-05:00The Y2K TaleIn commemoration of the new years observance.<br /><br />Thirteen years ago I was on duty at my first power company gig, and although there was a lot of hoopla leading up to the rollover from 1999 to 2000, tensions were not really that high.<br /><br />Some of my readers may not be old enough to remember this night and the lead up to it the way public safety and software people do.&nbsp; Being at the power company was almost as close to merging all concerns as you could get save perhaps flight controllers.<br /><br />For the uninitiated, this was the problem:&nbsp; For the prior half-decade or so, software had largely been written to handle date information with a two-digit year ("87" instead of "1987").&nbsp; Try to remember that until the 90's, data storage capabilities were far less advanced.&nbsp; I remember when we got our first computer with a hard drive in 1989, and it was a HUGE one, with a whole 2MB!&nbsp;<br /><br />No one writing software in those early days gave much thought to the technology being asked to deal with a centennial rollover, let alone a millennial one.&nbsp; But people found ways to stretch the life of software through upgrades and such, and these two-digit year legacy systems were everywhere.&nbsp; The race was on, beginning in the mid 90's when people starting figuring out there was a problem, to update any and all critical software systems to handle the change to the year 2000, so they wouldn't simply roll from 12/31/99 to 01/01/100 and explode in multicolored flames.<br /><br />People were making riches selling survival gear for the coming Armageddon of massive infrastructure failures (sound familiar?).<br /><br />And so here it was, December 31, 1999, approaching midnight.&nbsp; We were pretty confident things would be OK and not really buying into the hype, but just the same we were staffed heavy at the power company.<br /><br />We watched the seconds count away, and at midnight on the nose eastern time, when the first of the failures would theoretically hit the fan, sure as hell ....our lights went out.<br /><br />All of the monitoring displays of course continued to function, as they were all on UPS systems, and we spent the next few anxious seconds of stunned disbelief trying to figure out if we had just experienced a large regional blackout or maybe if we're lucky just a local one.&nbsp; But there were no alarms coming in, all readings were nominal and fluctuating (not static/frozen), no open breakers, no nothing.<br /><br />Then we heard the snickering.&nbsp; The dispatch manager had come back without telling any of us, and threw the lights at the appointed time.<br /><br />Well played.&nbsp; And with that, Y2K came and went with nary a blip.<br /><br />Be safe out there, my friends.<br /><br /><br />The Grumpy Dispatcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13636530576253741832noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7451103769417370892.post-73243128079578432482013-12-27T20:08:00.000-06:002015-05-07T22:58:19.288-05:00Beyond Amusement, to SympathyWe heard back from the crazy character mentioned in the previous post.<br /><br /><div style="color: yellow;">[<i>name, address, phone</i>]. [<i>email name</i>] is my cover email because someon intercepts all emails communications and phones some im constantly isolated from anyone reaching me. I am so sick from harm by meter and poisons entering my apartm I almost am never strong enough to leave. my bank acct has gone done $50,000 since aug 2011 of me living here when I normally spending $12000 per year.<br />have witness cyber intercept when I do financial online and cant even review bank statements as though someone sees into apartm what I am doing and then poison enters in or high pitched humming sound has stopped me from being able to work or function for 2 years now. everytime I try top review bank statement harm to me by bizarre poison enter to aprt. tonight it was cigarette smoke into kitchen and bedroom when try to sleep ; took 3 hours for smell to leave kitch. and 5 hours bedroom so someone constantly doing something to stop me sleeping or working or finding out who;’s stealing money from bank acct. posionoing me so I cant review the numbers and alarm companies told me someone here rigged spy cams and microphone to see and hear me all day, 3 separate alarm cos females said they know this but I lost their numbers someone cut phone line. im alone so atty advise not to call polic as I have no witness and would be public record if I report polic report. atty said don't do because whoever doing this could do more harm 2me.</div><br /><br />It is no longer amusing, this person has some serious issues.&nbsp; We went out to see what we could do, changed the meter, but the problem - at least having to do with the perception of the meter humming and preventing sleep, etc. - was not resolved.&nbsp; Of course, we knew from the beginning that this was not the real problem.<br /><br />We had to hand it over to social services.&nbsp; From here we won't know where it goes.&nbsp; I hope this tormented soul is able to get help.<br /><br /><br /><br />The Grumpy Dispatcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13636530576253741832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7451103769417370892.post-46464745760544969432013-12-27T02:24:00.000-06:002015-05-07T22:58:19.301-05:00Maybe I should start a sister blog about crazy emailsGot this one shared with us by the customer service friendlies today.<br /><br />They got this message first.<br /><br /><span style="color: yellow;">From: [<i>name</i>] [mailto:[<i>handle</i>]@hotmail.com]</span><br /><span style="color: yellow;">Sent: Thursday, December 26, 2013 2:30 AM</span><br /><span style="color: yellow;">To: [<i>custsvc</i>]</span><br /><span style="color: yellow;">Subject: urgent need to stop humming sound in apartment</span><br /><br style="color: yellow;" /><span style="color: yellow;">I have a digital smartmeter and there is loud high pitched screeching humming sound all over my apt causing me to not sleep for days.&nbsp; I left my apartment for hours and upon return there has been nonstop humming sound. I am reading others are reporting same and my bedroom has 3 large power lines across from it. this humming sound commenced around dec 10 but worsened greatly when I was out.&nbsp;&nbsp; others have told me locals want this apartment and are doing some secret thing to annoy me so I will flee but cannot confirm this.</span><br /><br style="color: yellow;" /><span style="color: yellow;">need immediate help getting analog meter. reply promptly please. the worst of humming has been since I left apt and returned on dec 24th. thanks [<i>phone number</i>]</span><br /><br style="color: yellow;" /><br />The phone number provided is not in our customer database, and the name (nor any of its common variations) is also not in our database.&nbsp; There was no answer when we called it, and no voice mail.&nbsp; We have no idea who this is, how to reach them, or where they are.&nbsp; So, we sent this reply.<br /><br /><span style="color: cyan;">From: [<i>custsvc</i>]</span><br /><span style="color: cyan;">Sent: ‎December‎ ‎26‎, ‎2013 ‎7‎:‎16‎ ‎AM</span><br /><span style="color: cyan;">To: [<i>name</i>]</span><br /><span style="color: cyan;">Subject: RE: urgent need to stop humming sound in apartment</span><br /><br style="color: cyan;" /><span style="color: cyan;">Good morning.</span><br /><br style="color: cyan;" /><span style="color: cyan;">Thank you for your e-mail.&nbsp; Please e-mail us or call us at [<i>phone number</i>] and provide your address so we can follow up with the service department to check out your meter.</span><br /><br style="color: cyan;" /><span style="color: cyan;">Thank you,</span><br /><span style="color: cyan;">[<i>name</i>]</span><br /><span style="color: cyan;">Customer Service</span><br /><span style="color: cyan;">[<i>power company</i>]</span><br /><br />From there things apparently degraded, as this was the next message we got.<br /><br /><span style="color: yellow;">From: [<i>name</i>] [mailto:[<i>handle</i>]@hotmail.com]</span><br /><span style="color: yellow;">Sent: Thursday, December 27, 2013 1:39 PM</span><br /><span style="color: yellow;">To: [<i>custsvc</i>]</span><br /><span style="color: yellow;">Subject: RE: urgent need to stop humming sound in apartment</span><br /><br style="color: yellow;" /><span style="color: yellow;">high pitched humming sound so bad haven't slept now 5 days, ringing in my ears even when cut off breakers off electricity running still as I sampled one of those glade plugin scents where liquid all gon e and smell is putting out like its full. if power off no scent should occur. additionally cigarette smoke smell is entering into my kitchen at 7 pm and when I was in my bed at 11 pm cigaretee smoking entering apartment but all windows closed and I don't smoke. I am told people here want this apartment.</span><br /><br style="color: yellow;" /><span style="color: yellow;">digital meters cause these affects.&nbsp; im being made very sick here, reported to apartment management who maintenac guy says he doesn't hear anything.</span><br /><br style="color: yellow;" /><span style="color: yellow;">sound is making me deaf and will sue if meter not replaced with legacy analog meter. 3 giant high voltage towers are next to my bedrm window . says they are microwave cell towers.</span><br /><br style="color: yellow;" /><span style="color: yellow;">need immediate remedy</span><br /><br style="color: yellow;" /><br />We still can't reach this person by phone, no idea who it is or where they are.&nbsp; I opted to get involved and sent this. <br /><br /><span style="color: lime;">Hi there, my name is [<i>Grumpy Dispatcher</i>], I am the [<i>dispatch boss man</i>] for [<i>my power company</i>]. Our customer service department shared your concerns with me.</span><br /><br style="color: lime;" /><span style="color: lime;">We would like to try to help you, but you have not yet told us how to find you so we can assist.&nbsp; You have emailed us twice, but you have not provided us with your address or your account number, and we do not have anyone in our customer database by the name of [<i>name</i>] or any variations of that name, nor do we have the phone number you provided us anywhere in our customer database.</span><br /><br style="color: lime;" /><span style="color: lime;">We have tried to call you several times but no one is answering.&nbsp; In order to assist you, you MUST call us [<i>phone number</i>] so we can assist.</span><br /><br />I'll keep you posted on how this turns out, if I ever find out.<br /><br /><br />The Grumpy Dispatcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13636530576253741832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7451103769417370892.post-19979088559140979172013-12-09T18:44:00.000-06:002015-05-07T22:58:19.329-05:00Emails from the AwesomeCounterpoint to our previous post, this gem arrived recently from one of our end users.<br />---<br /><br /><div style="color: #f6b26b;">I am unsure if this response is automated or not, either way I am going to leave you with a slew of compliments and varying levels of awesome sentences.</div><div style="color: #f6b26b;"><br />Let me begin by saying that this company is the shit (metaphorically speaking of course). If I ever decide to have offspring of my own I am going to name him after your company. I say this because I want him to be as professional and as efficient as you all are. I say I will have a boy because I hate women and they steal all your money (much like my tweaker neighbor). </div><div style="color: #f6b26b;"><br />Next compliment; Pat, your response was both timely and to the point. You deserve a raise. I am not talking about those bullshit 50 cent an hour raises, I am talking about a $30,000 raise. Talk to your boss about this in your review (which will be next week, as I have contacted them for you). 30K may seem a bit extreme but you are the best at your job and you DESERVE THIS RAISE. You could be the king of Amurica' one day. I'd vote for you if I could read.</div><div style="color: #f6b26b;"><br />Next Compliment; You guys are like 7/11, you aren't always doing business but you're always open. If you can tell me where that quote is from I will buy you a pound of coffee and deliver it to your skyscraper headquarters up at the international space station. Sorry, I got off track. Your compliment is as follows: Your facial hair is awesome. If you are a chick named Pat than your facial hair is probably still better than mine. Hats off to you.</div><br />---<br />The customer service rep was not afraid to send this follow up.<br />--- <br /><br /><div style="color: #3d85c6;">I want to thank you for taking the time to send the slew of compliments and awesome sentences (I felt they were consistently awesome). We agree that Pat (female, no facial hair) is fantastic. Your kind words have been forwarded to her and I’m sure she will appreciate your email. I do have to disagree slightly with the quote from “The Boondock Saints,” in that we are always open and always doing business. No need to waste your postage money on a package to any skyscraper at the international space station, we are located here in (town). Coffee can be delivered to either location: <br /><br />(Headquarters location)<br />(Satellite Office location)<br /><br />Thank you again for your feedback and best of luck with our future namesake.</div><br />--- <br />That was fun.<br /><br /><br />The Grumpy Dispatcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13636530576253741832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7451103769417370892.post-47625594213281002752013-12-05T18:47:00.000-06:002015-05-07T22:58:19.342-05:00Emails from the CraziesAt the power company, we responded to a routine outage, about 20 people were out due to the failure of underground cable.<br /><br />I've always been a little annoyed at the physics involved in faulted cable.&nbsp; It's like my hot water heater when it sprung a leak.&nbsp; It was about 15 years old, and it was fine yesterday, but today it is peeing a thin stream onto the basement floor.&nbsp; What exactly happened to it, physically, (molecularly?), that was the final straw so that it now leaks?&nbsp; It is like that with distribution cable if no one dug into it.&nbsp; Yesterday it was fine, today it blows?&nbsp; What gives?<br /><br />Anyway, pretty straightforward problem.&nbsp; About eight padmount transformers are attached to it.&nbsp; The fault current was enough to blow the cutout at the tap fuse.&nbsp; My crews located the fault spot, exposed it, and spliced in a new section.&nbsp; Very routine.<br /><br />Later, we get this email in dispatch, forwarded by an amused customer service rep.<br /><br /><div style="color: #f6b26b;"><b><i>I live at 1345 S.E. 49 AVE i have a power outage this morning i want you to che3ck if the power grid got hacked by a computer hacker. I have been fighting computer hacker in my computer for a month or so if it was hacked a hit it was </i></b>(named removed)<b><i> of </i></b>(local medium-sized city)<b><i> check your system over the outage was on 49th Ave.</i></b></div><br />Unless computer hackers can access remote strands of underground cable and cause their insulation to fail on demand, I think we're safe from the hacking menace.&nbsp; This is the reply I sent him, flooding him with so much info he hopefully wouldn't ask any more questions.&nbsp; He didn't.<br /><br /><i style="color: #6fa8dc;"><b>Hello _____,<br /><br />A customer service representative forwarded your concern to me.&nbsp; I am the dispatch supervisor on duty, and will explain what caused your power outage this morning.<br /><br />Your home is served by the Pleasant Grove Substation, located on the northwest corner of SE 62nd Avenue and SE 29th Street.&nbsp; You are on Pleasant Grove #2, which proceeds east from the station on 29th/Boxville before running south on SE 49th Avenue.<br /><br />At the intersection of 18th and 49th there is what we call a riser pole, where the overhead power lines have a tap with a protective fuse that then runs underground to serve the homes north of that intersection, including yours, and it runs on up to the end of Overlook Drive.&nbsp; Any faults (short circuits) anywhere in this run of cable from the riser pole to the end of Overlook Drive will cause the fuse at the riser pole to open.<br /><br />What happened this morning that caused your power outage is that a section of underground power cable went bad near 1109 SE Overlook Drive.&nbsp; When this occurred and the fuse opened, crews responded and began checking the various transformers and cable sections in your neighborhood before locating the bad cable section.&nbsp; Underground cable cannot be impacted by computer or hacking activities, it only fails for physical reasons (digging, rocks shifting, etc), or deterioration from age.&nbsp; Once the failed section was identified, it was isolated from the rest of the area cable, and nearly everyone in your neighborhood was restored before the crews began work to repair the bad section.<br /><br />This entire incident involved physically-activated equipment and devices, no electronic or computer resources were associated with any part of the event.&nbsp; I hope this alleviates your concerns, thanks for letting us know.&nbsp; Let me know if we can be of further assistance.</b></i><br /><br />Still, I have to admit wondering how much it must suck to be convinced an evil hacker is out to get you.&nbsp; Then again, just because you're paranoid does not automatically mean no one is out to get you, right?<br /><br /><br /><br />The Grumpy Dispatcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13636530576253741832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7451103769417370892.post-68498444530596094972013-12-04T01:02:00.000-06:002015-05-07T22:58:19.354-05:00RestorationIt has begun.<br /><br />34 posts reviewed and restored so far.&nbsp; Still over 200 left to sift through.<br /><br />Kind of amusing reading over my own stuff from when I was much more of a grump than I am these days.<br /><br />Stay safe, my friends.<br /><br /><br />The Grumpy Dispatcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13636530576253741832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7451103769417370892.post-45469296417714475932013-07-25T23:32:00.000-05:002015-05-07T22:58:19.377-05:00Rule BreakingIt was 03-something in the morning when the Minitor chirped.<br /><br /><i>Engine, Engine, Engine, Tanker, Tanker, etc....</i> chimney fire being upgraded straight to a full structure response. This could be interesting, but where is it?<br /><br />Awww snap. Seven blocks away from ol' Grumpy's house, with Station 51 smack in between.<br /><br />Not too many first due-fires for this run-down volunteer, let's hope we don't screw this up.<br /><br />Arriving aboard E51 about four minutes later, there's fire showing from the roof of this double-wide mobile home all around the chimney in the center of the roof.<br /><br />Let's not screw this up.<br /><br />Dispatchers said everyone is out, but as I pull past the place and park it, all the lights are on but no one is in sight. Walking up to the place, I sure hope they aren't inside trying to get the cat or something. Visibility is actually nearly clear, the haze about like when you start up the fireplace and forget to open the damper. Walking in and calling out, the residents answer from through the open back door where they are in fact dealing with pets - thankfully already outside.<br /><br />Rescue mitigated, I scope the wood stove in the center of the home on my way out. The ceiling around the pipe has burned away several inches, leaving a clear view into the freely burning attic void. Conveniently, with oxygen drawn from the living area and smoke venting through the roof, it is staying pretty clear inside. I should get out, pull a line, pack up and wait for help.<br /><br />But we'll lose everything if we wait another ten minutes for next-due Engine 54.<br /><br />When you choose to break the rules, be darn sure you can articulate why you did it and are positive that it will work.<br /><br />I stretched a line from 51 and brought it to the door without grabbing a pack, had the guy living there help hump it in behind me from the front door, and put two quick bursts of straight stream into the attic. Knocked that fire right down, but stirred up the crap, so I dropped the tip and bailed out again before it got untenable. Outside, there were no longer flames visible from the roof. Nice.<br /><br />54 made the scene, and now that we had four guys we went back to work.<br /><br />We saved the place, still had 3/4 tank on Engine 51 and never used water from any other pieces.&nbsp; Pretty cool, saving a mobile home and all its furnishings on the fringes of civilization, when the normal configuration for a burning rural mobile home at night is to serve as a navigational aid for aircraft.<br /><br />Thank you God for helping me not screw that up and sending me excellent help.<br /><br />Got lightly grilled about it later, but being able to articulate my reasoning and having a saved mobile home to our credit, the end result was our notoriously crusty Deputy Chief of few words simply saying "Super good job, Grumpy".&nbsp; Whew.<br /><br />Everything was all fine and dandy after that until the Chief put out a press release with my name in it.&nbsp; Damn.&nbsp; Ice cream for three staffed stations is expensive.<br /><br />Stay safe out there.&nbsp; And for heaven's sake do as I say, not as I do!<br /><br /><br />The Grumpy Dispatcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13636530576253741832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7451103769417370892.post-27009159302211568792013-01-24T23:47:00.004-06:002015-05-07T22:58:19.390-05:00PARStill here.&nbsp; Still in semi-blog-retirement but not ruling out future content that I often have promised but as yet failed to deliver.<br /><br />Just in case anyone was wondering.<br /><br />Hope your holidays and new year went well and your resolutions are holding up.&nbsp; Stay safe out there.<br /><br /><br />The Grumpy Dispatcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13636530576253741832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7451103769417370892.post-41308607480094686422012-10-31T01:48:00.004-05:002015-05-07T22:58:19.403-05:00Happens to All of Us<div style="color: cyan;"><br /><b>Beeeeep.</b></div><br /><div style="color: yellow;"><b>Engine 54, Engine 51, Engine 53, respond to a smell of smoke in a home.....</b></div><br />Upon my solo arrival in Engine 51, 54's crew was already in the house with the TIC trying to find the source of the burned plastic odor.&nbsp; The air was clear, no visible smoke, but the smell was unmistakable.&nbsp; I was directed to bring my TIC in as well, to help investigate inside, as nothing at all was visible from the outside.<br /><br />We weren't making any progress by the time 53 arrived, and they were detailed with going around the perimeter outside with their TIC.<br /><br />Furnace?&nbsp; No problems.&nbsp; Attic?&nbsp; Nothing.&nbsp; Electrical?&nbsp; Nada.&nbsp; Bad ballast in a fluorescent fixture?&nbsp; Nope.&nbsp; We kept coming back to the living room where the odor was strongest.<br /><br />The fun part of this call was that the homeowner was a firefighter for the Very Large City Fire Department north of here across the county line.&nbsp; He had tried to find the source for himself without success for quite a while, and eventually hit the point where he had to swallow his pride and call us in, because having your home burn down after you self-patrolled it for 30 minutes without successfully finding the source is much more embarrassing than having to call in the local firefighters.<br /><br />Finally, it was <a href="http://tmcfd.blogspot.com/2011/11/the-new-guy.html">Trev</a>'s voice: "Got it!".&nbsp; He was by the wood stove, which the guy used to heat his home.&nbsp; We had searched around it, behind it, checked the walls around it from the front and behind in other rooms, and had thoroughly inspected the chimney's path through to the roof several times and found nothing other than the normal and safe heat signature expected, with nothing unusual found to explain the odor.&nbsp; Until Trev took a fourth long look, and was the first of us to look under it.<br /><br />There, on the brick base near the fireplace, were three toy cars melted nearly into blobs, that Trev had scooped out from the 2" gap under the wood stove.<br /><br />There you go.&nbsp; Darn kids!<br /><br />Don't worry homeowner firefighter from the VLCFD, it happens to all of us.&nbsp; We won't tell.&nbsp; At least we're not naming names.&nbsp; And to be fair, it took us forever to find it, too.<br /><br />--------------<br /><br />Our prayers and thoughts go out to those affected by Hurricane Sandy and the brave souls working to keep everyone safe from harm and get the power back on.&nbsp; Read of some freakishly amazing feats of courage and heroism by many out there.&nbsp; Well done, and please make sure you get back home to your families in one piece.<br /><br /><br />The Grumpy Dispatcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13636530576253741832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7451103769417370892.post-59495836926381522892012-09-28T14:19:00.003-05:002015-05-07T22:58:19.417-05:00Another SendoffThe power dispatching world is a small one, a very tight community.&nbsp; I've bounced around a little, as have many of us, and I now know folks in dispatch and operations management all over the country that I have worked alongside literally or figuratively.<br /><br />The best power companies have an internal family structure very much like the fire department, very familial.&nbsp; You work with the same two or three guys on a shift for years, it gets that way.&nbsp; And you bitch about guys on the other shifts who don't clean up or put things in the wrong place.&nbsp; Sometimes we can get pretty owly with each other about the dumbest things, but none of us would bat an eye at loaning a car to each other or families sharing a cabin for the weekend.&nbsp; Sound familiar?<br /><br />For that reason, when something bad happens to a member of the extended family nearly anywhere in the country, just like in the online fire community, it tends to impact someone you know within a degree or two.<br /><br />Last week the Bonneville Power Administration lost a lineman out on the west coast, near Spokane I think.&nbsp; He fell from a transmission tower during routine maintenance, and while he was wearing a full harness it is not clear what went wrong yet.<br /><br />I know the feel in the dispatch center when you get that first frantic field call of an injury to personnel.&nbsp; Of hearing voices on the radio you're familiar with remaining calm but with that edge that tells you its bad.&nbsp; Just like the fire service.<br /><br />Word started to filter around, and I got an email from a colleague the same day.&nbsp; The name sounded a little familiar, and I couldn't figure out why.&nbsp; I went to Facebook to contact a former colleague and old friend who dispatches for BPA now, because standard response for all of us is to pass the hat for the family, to get the details we needed to help out.&nbsp; And right there in his short list of friends on his profile was the fallen lineman.&nbsp; Probably where I had seen the name before, I guess.<br /><br />He had just celebrated his first anniversary earlier this month, and his wife is expecting a son.&nbsp; These never get any easier over time, fire or utility LODDs, but it helps knowing that in this kind of organization (just like fire), his wife and son will be well cared for by the brethren.<br /><br />My BPA friend emailed over some pictures from the procession today.&nbsp; The colors of the trucks are different, but the emotion is the same.<br /><br />Rest easy Matt, your brothers will take it from here.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Qd-51AwMGw8/UGX4MU07gtI/AAAAAAAAArk/Mv_hh7Zf2dA/s1600/Boom+tribute+10.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Qd-51AwMGw8/UGX4MU07gtI/AAAAAAAAArk/Mv_hh7Zf2dA/s320/Boom+tribute+10.JPG" width="305" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3_vGZCszz-w/UGX4NbYefxI/AAAAAAAAArs/4ZLKcrl1wBM/s1600/Boom+tribute+4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3_vGZCszz-w/UGX4NbYefxI/AAAAAAAAArs/4ZLKcrl1wBM/s320/Boom+tribute+4.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8uFoB4S7AK0/UGX4OEMoJoI/AAAAAAAAAr0/_0gXT6Briy0/s1600/Boom+tribute+8.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8uFoB4S7AK0/UGX4OEMoJoI/AAAAAAAAAr0/_0gXT6Briy0/s320/Boom+tribute+8.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br /><br />The Grumpy Dispatcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13636530576253741832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7451103769417370892.post-70809074175208523022012-09-21T01:54:00.002-05:002015-05-07T22:58:19.577-05:00Another Cat CallSo a little girl of nine years old found her kitty up a tree. Being resourceful and with her Mom's permission, she looked up the non-emergency number of her local fire department (not my agency) and asked if they could help.<br /><br />Now, normally, the answer is of course no, but the LT who took the call just could not bring himself to deny her directly. And hey, they don't get to practice with the old Sqrt that often, so c'mon boys let's call it a drill. The crew of four climbed aboard the rarely-used 1975 American LaFrance with the 65' Telesqrt and headed out to save the day.<br /><br />Upon arrival, the little girl was pretty calm but clearly concerned. Mom was right there, admirably guiding her daughter through learning how to properly handle emergencies on her own but otherwise staying out of the way. From the accounts I've heard, Mom was pretty terrific about the whole thing.<br /><br />So, little girl, where's your kitty? Which tree?<br /><br />She pointed up. Way up. Way, way, waaay up. The LT's face fell. There was no way the 65-footer had a chance to reach up to the crazy height that kitty had ascended to. Once again faced with not wanting to tell the little girl "no", he apologized because they did not have a bigger ladder truck in the fleet and suggested maybe the power company could help. It was a stretch of desperation, sure, but who wants to shut down an adorable little girl who thinks you're the best heroes ever?<br /><br />Then, like magic, they got an actual call, promptly responding gallantly to a medical emergency, without being forced to slink away in depressed failure.<br /><br />Ever the resourceful young lady, the lass followed the LT's advice, and we got the call. It routed in here to dispatch (this being the first I heard about it), and my initial reaction was not just no, but hell no. We can't set a precedent for doing non-utility work. This is the fireman in me talking, of course. Then the customer service rep asked if I wanted to speak to the caller. Prepared to do my usual logical explanation of why we couldn't help, she transferred the little girl to me.<br /><br />Of course, I had no idea the caller was a little girl. And then she told me how the firemen had let her down.<br /><br />Damn you! I am powerless against her abilities! Like the LT, I looked around for an out. Like magic, there was <a href="http://tmcfd.blogspot.com/2012/04/lightbulb-moments.html">Gary</a>, having just returned from his service duty tour and filling out his timesheet. Miss, can you hold a second?<br /><br />I gave Gary a quick rundown of the situation. He kind of relished the idea of outdoing the fire department. No one was using the highline truck (the one we use to reach the really high transmission lines on the towers) and nothing was really going on, so he grabbed the keys and headed out. I attempted to call the fire station she had called but no answer (they were still on that call apparently), left a message.<br /><br />The highline truck's bucket goes up to 100', and it was pretty much at its maximum extension when he reached the kitty, which thankfully didn't scamper up any higher when he moved in for the grab. Sensibly, he had Mom take the little girl inside while they worked in case kitty decided to take a crazy suicide leap, but kitty was fairly cooperative about getting into the cat carrier.<br /><br />Gary said the look on the little girl's face will be a permanent highlight on his career, and that beating the fire department in the rescue business was just icing.<br /><br />I got a call back later from the LT, who filled me in on all that I had missed before we got the call, and was very happy to hear that things worked out well. I arranged for Gary to get a little private attaboy in our next staff meeting, but we can't publicize it too wide or we'll start getting more of these, right?<br /><br />Good job, Gary. Don't take it too hard, LT.<br /><br /><br />The Grumpy Dispatcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13636530576253741832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7451103769417370892.post-34019386815652856292012-09-10T19:20:00.001-05:002015-05-07T22:58:19.590-05:00The Man in the Red BandanaSome gave all. Never forget. 9.11.01<br /><br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="247" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/NlRTyt6dALM" width="440"></iframe><br /><br /><br /><br />The Grumpy Dispatcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13636530576253741832noreply@blogger.com0